Some of the new Clippers' personnel have connections to Kawhi Leonard and Damian Lillard's iconic shots last season — about which there has been limited discussion.

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Kawhi Leonard celebrates with his former Toronto Raptors teammates after he made a last-second basket on Game 7 of an NBA Eastern Conference semifinal to end the Philadelphia 76ers’ season. It’s a moment Todd Wright, the Clippers’ new VP of player performance, won’t forget. The former 76ers strength coach said: “Even though I was on the other side… I appreciate that moment that he tapped into.” (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Is the anticipation getting to you? It’s just days away now: The start of the NBA season and eight months of drama, plot twists and, yes, huge shots.

The Clippers weren’t involved in either of last season’s most enduring makes: Portland guard Damian Lillard’s audacious 37-footer at the buzzer to end Oklahoma City’s season in their first-round playoff series or Kawhi Leonard’s jumper that rattled around the rim before falling as time ran out on Game 7 of the second-round series between Toronto and Philadelphia.

But both of those iconic NBA moments live on — from opposite angles — with this season’s Clippers.

Leonard, of course, chose in free agency to sign with the Clippers, who also welcomed aboard former 76ers strength coach Todd Wright. The Clippers’ new vice president of player performance suspects he won’t ever forget watching that Leonard shot ricochet around the rim and in.

“Any time as a coach you get a chance to watch a great player make a shot like that … it’s one that you’re always going to remember,” Wright said. “For two reasons, how you felt, and the fact that they made that caliber of a shot at that moment, which great players do.

“We had a short discussion about it. It wasn’t a long one,” Wright said. “And it was one of appreciation. Even though I was on the other side, just how much I appreciate that moment that he tapped into.”

Moe Harkless, meanwhile, was on Lillard’s side for his big shot, which abruptly plunged new Clippers Paul George and Patrick Patterson into the offseason.

At media day, Harkless sat beside Patterson, smiling like the Cheshire Cat as he listened to his new teammate talk about the disappointing end to the Thunder’s season.

“Uh, it’s a sensitive subject, but it’s got to (come up),” Harkless said when asked whether there had been any discussion about the shot. “We talked about it a little bit, (George) asked me about the shot that everybody obviously knows about, and what I thought about it.

“But, you know, we didn’t talk too much about it. We’re on the same team now and that’s who we’re focused on.”

HELPING HANDS

On Saturday, JaMychal Green, Mfiondu Kabengele, Terance Mann, Rodney McGruder and Jerome Robinson went straight from practice to the Salvation Army Siemon Family Youth and Community Center in South Los Angeles.

The players joined a small army of volunteers at the L.A. Clippers Foundation’s annual food donation drive, where an estimated 1,000 families received bags filled with an assortment of vegetables, bread, non-perishable goods and personal hygiene items.

It felt familiar for the Clippers’ rookies Mann and Kabengele, who spent significant time engaged in community service work at Florida State.

“A lot of times, especially in Florida, with hurricanes that will happen damn near every season, we did a lot of hurricane relief, giving out boxes and supplies to people in those areas,” Kabengele said. “So this is like deja vu all over again. This is really cool.”

Mann said he also read to children, fed those who were homeless and participated in events like Saturday’s distributing goods to those in need.

“I was big-time on community service,” Mann said. “What they would do is they’d have an awards ceremony at the end of the year and the team with the most community service hours would win the award. Our men’s basketball team my junior year … and I, individually, was in the top 10, top five.

“I just think it’s import to be here, for them to see my face, for them to know that I’m willing to help out, whenever they need us here.”

GRAHAM WAIVED

The Clippers announced Saturday they waived forward Donte Grantham, who signed an Exhibit 10 contract in August and appeared in three preseason games, shooting 1 for 5 in 17 minutes of court time.

Mirjam Swanson covers the Clippers, the NBA and the LA Sparks for the Southern California News Group. Previously, she wrote about LeBron James and the rest of the Dream Team at the 2004 Olympics (where, yes, they took bronze), Tiger Woods winning the U.S. Open on one leg, and had a tour reporting on city government, education and the occasional bear in a backyard.

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